Vehicle Thermal Systems Architect

Blue Bird Brand; Macon Township (MI); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Continued Professional Development

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

14 Paid Holidays

401k Matching

Vacation Time

Job summary

Blue Bird Corporation seeks a Sr. Principal Thermal Integration Engineer to own vehicle-level thermal management for next-generation commercial chassis.

You will oversee engine and transmission cooling, HVAC integration, cooling module design, and heat rejection performance across demanding duty cycles. In this high-accountability role, you will collaborate across propulsion, chassis integration, controls, validation, and manufacturing, making critical decisions from concept through production

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Automotive Engineering with emphasis in thermal sciences.
• 10+ years of experience developing vehicle cooling systems and thermal architectures.
• US citizenship or permanent resident; eligible to work in the United States.
• Experience with 1D/3D thermal-fluid analyses and DVP&R plans.

Responsibilities

• Define and own commercial chassis cooling architecture, including engine and transmission cooling, HVAC integration, and coolant routing.
• Design and optimize cooling modules, radiators, charge air coolers, and related components.
• Lead integration of thermal systems into the chassis balancing heat rejection, packaging, manufacturability, durability, and cost.
• Develop cooling strategies for high ambient temperatures and severe-duty operation.
• Perform 1D/3D thermal-fluid analyses to optimize coolant flow and system efficiency.
• Define requirements and operating strategies for fans, pumps, valves, and thermal controls.
• Provide technical direction to suppliers while retaining ownership of requirements and designs.
• Develop and execute thermal DVPR activities through lab, dynamometer, environmental, and vehicle testing.

Skills

Thermal architecture

CFD/thermal tools

Vehicle cooling systems

Thermal controls

Cross-functional leadership

Sensors & data acquisition

Supplier management

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Aerospace/Automotive Engineering

Tools

GT-SUITE

Simcenter Amesim

ANSYS Fluent

Star-CCM+

Job description

Blue Bird Corporation seeks a Sr. Principal Thermal Integration Engineer to own vehicle-level thermal management for next-generation commercial chassis.

You will oversee engine and transmission cooling, HVAC integration, cooling module design, and heat rejection performance across demanding duty cycles. In this high-accountability role, you will collaborate across propulsion, chassis integration, controls, validation, and manufacturing, making critical decisions from concept through production